Homerun
by Gemini Morgan
Summary: Merle's back and not particularly happy about the choices Daryl has made in his absence. Daryl is done with living his life according to his brother's thoughts and opinions. Daryl/Glenn.


A/N: I spend a good deal of time contemplating what would happen if Daryl and Glenn were to start up a relationship and then Merle came back. Knowing how Merle is, and seeing the way he interacts with Daryl (well okay, the interactions were in Daryl's head, yeah, but it's clear that that's how their relationship works for real), it's apparent that he wouldn't handle it well. But the most fascinating thought to me was how Daryl would handle Merle's reaction. Merle may be his big brother, but I think after spending so much time with the group, getting closer to them and whatnot, I don't quite think Daryl would just take Merle's word as law anymore. Especially if he _were_ in a relationship with Glenn. All of this ties into a bunch of headcanons I have concerning Daryl, but yes, this fic itself is borne of all those contemplations :D Enjoy!

Warnings: Slash, homophobia, racism, language.

Disclaimer: I clearly am not Robert Kirkman and therefore do not own any part of The Walking Dead.

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><p>Tense didn't even begin to describe the atmosphere.<p>

No one had exactly expected Merle Dixon's return to be hailed with whoops and cheers, but they _also _hadn't expected for Daryl, the one they had thought _would _be overjoyed to see his brother again, to stare the man down with clenched fists and a tight jaw. Nor for Merle to be staring back, just as intense, with a look of utter disgust and disbelief.

"So you tellin' me you're a faggot now, boy? After all I did to make sure you turned out alright, you go on an' become a cocksucker the second I'm gone?"

Daryl said nothing; it was all he could do to keep looking Merle in the eyes. No one else said anything, either- as shocked as Merle was about the new 'development' concerning his baby brother, so were the rest of the group. No one, save Carol and Dale, had had any sort of suspicion or notion of the relationship between Daryl and Glenn. At most, they'd just thought the two had become somewhat begrudging friends. How Merle had figured it out or found out about it, they had no idea, but it was more than clear what the older Dixon thought about the matter.

He took a step closer to Daryl, who didn't move. "Now look here, little brother- you tell me this is like a prison situation an' I'll just let it go. We can get outta here and find you some real pussy and pretend this shit didn't happen, even if you _was _fuckin' a slanteye. If you ain't gotta choice, you ain't gotta choice. That what this was?"

"No, it ain't." Daryl's voice was quiet, but firm, and it was surprising just how quickly he answered. "I'm with him 'cause I wanna be."

A vein was bulging in Merle's neck as he took another menacing step forward. "What was that?" His voice was low, dangerous, threatening Daryl to repeat himself. The younger man flinched, but stood his ground, leveling his brother with a gaze that seemed to be a great mix of things...including defiance.

"I said I'm with him 'cause I wanna be." And then, with just the barest hints of a smirk, a statement more bold than anyone would have imagined him capable of uttering straight to his brother's face. "And sometimes, I ain't the one doin' the fuckin'."

The punch that followed knocked Daryl off his feet, and Merle wasted no time in holding the younger man down and pummeling him, punctuating the beating with shouts of 'you fucking faggot!' and 'sick little fuck!'. Carol and Andrea both screamed and Rick and Shane made to move forward and haul Merle off, but before they could get close enough, a loud 'crack' sounded through the general area. Dead silence followed it for a good several moments, everyone staring at Glenn, who had appeared seemingly out of _nowhere _and was now brandishing a baseball bat, standing over Merle with one of the angriest expressions anyone had ever seen him wear. The hit hadn't been enough to knock Merle out, but it had sure as hell disoriented him, putting a stop to the beating he was giving his younger brother.

"Get the _hell _off of him and leave," the Korean growled, the slight tremor in his voice and the tremble in his body going almost entirely unnoticed. "The only sick fuck around here is _you_."

The racist nearly got his senses back, snarling at not only being hit by a chink, but mouthed off to as well, and almost leapt at Glenn to show him what he wanted to do to the little bitch who turned his brother queer.

If said brother hadn't just rolled him over and start pounding every inch of him that he could reach.

It quickly became clear that for all that Merle was a good fighter, Daryl was just as good, if not better.

"You won't touch Glenn," he told the older man once he stopped punching him. "You won't touch no one here. Just get'cher stuff and take off."

"You think you belong here, boy?" Merle asked between coughs. "You think these people give a shit about you? Always knew you were a damn fool, but I never thought you was stupid enough to abandon your only kin for a fag and a bunch of assholes. They gon' leave you next, an' you'll sure as hell be sorry then."

Glenn didn't have to see Daryl's face to know what those words were doing to him; the same sort of words that the man had admitted to hearing from his father and brother for as long as he could remember. He wanted to say something, but to his slight surprise, and most certainly Daryl's, it was Rick who spoke up, striding over to look down at Merle with disdain.

"I think it's best that you do as Daryl suggested and move on, Merle, unless you think you can take on all of us. Now I'm alright with those odds, but an even dumber man than you would think twice about 'em." He spoke in clipped, polite tones, which did nothing to dull the threat of his words, and without looking away helped Daryl get to his feet. After another minute or so, apparently weighing his options, Merle got up as well, wiping blood from his nose and glaring at his brother, but making no more moves to fight him or anyone else.

"Alright, tha's just fine," he said. "Don't wanna stick around here with a bunch of sorry ass motherfuckers anyways, I got better shit to be doin'. Fuck all y'all, don't need a single one o' ya." No one moved, just watched as Merle noisily grabbed all of his things and loaded up his motorcycle. Daryl was the only one whose eyes didn't follow the older Dixon's movements, the loud rumble of the Chopper being his only indication that his brother was actually leaving.

The rigid atmosphere didn't fade for a few minutes after Merle's departure; everyone was now staring at Glenn and Daryl, questions on some of their faces, worry and mild discomfort on others. No one knew what to say, until finally Carol walked up to Daryl and gently asked if he was alright, taking one of his hands in both of hers. This seemed to break the dam for everyone else as well, tensions relaxing as Dale complimented Glenn on his crack at Merle, and Andrea offered to get some peroxide and a wet cloth for Daryl's cuts and busted lip. Shane still looked a little uncomfortable, but if he had something to say, he kept it to himself, instead choosing to smile slightly and joke about how Glenn should have been on a baseball team with a swing like his.

It was a little while before Daryl was left alone, between Carol's mothering and Rick's quiet, slightly awkward reassurances that nothing would change, that he and Glenn were just as much apart of the group as ever. But when the hunter got the chance, he slipped back into his tent, finding to his relief that Glenn was already waiting for him.

Sitting down next to the Korean, he gave him a sardonic look and said, "Thought I told you to stay in here while I was talkin' to Merle."

"You did," Glenn replied. "But since when do I do what you tell me to?"

"Fair 'nough. That was still a pretty stupid move, though. He's twice your size and he's got at least three times the muscle, 'specially if he was high. What would you've done if I hadn't been able to stop him?"

"A 'thank you' would be nice, too," the younger man said, raising an eyebrow. "And don't go lecturing _me _when you were the one who chose the worst possible moment to be a smart ass."

Daryl rolled his eyes, though one of them was nearly swollen shut and made it less obvious. "He was gonna start in on me anyways, no matter what I said. Figured I might as well tell him what I was thinkin' for once. 'sides, I ain't that bad off- I've had worse 'n this." The worst part being that Glenn knew very well that this was true; that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Worse or not, I wasn't about to let him keep beating you to a pulp. I _like _your face, remember?" Daryl snorted at that, shaking his head and messing with Glenn's hair in a gesture that could only be described as affectionate.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, ya still got some balls for a Chinaman, I'll tell you that much."

Mock-indignation flared up on Glenn's face as he shot back, "I'm _Korean_." It made the tracker roll his eyes again, but he decided to answer the other's retort with a kiss. It was light and cautious, both of them wary of Daryl's split lip, but it was enough to uncoil the knot of nerves that had been sitting in Daryl's stomach ever since Merle's arrival. They were okay. Everything was okay, or as okay as it really could be during the end of the world. And while he would probably feel guilty later for turning his back on his only family, right now he was just tired and sore, so being okay was enough for him.

When he pulled away, Glenn pressed their foreheads together, one of his hands finding Daryl's and intertwining their fingers. "Thanks," he said after a moment or two. Daryl didn't ask what he was being thanked for, nor did Glenn feel the need to tell him; a lot of things between them tended to be better left unsaid. Not because they didn't know how to say them, but simply because the words weren't needed.

And that was okay, too.


End file.
